Managing Your Trash

Hello there again!

We hope you were all safe and dry from the heavy rainfall that struck us and the really bad flood that affected numerous areas.

Our thoughts and prayers go to all the families affected by the storm and flood.

 

Credit to Philippine Daily Inquirer (photo)

On the bright side, we’re seeing more sunshine these past few days.

But, speaking of flood, that means there’s more trash accumulating and piling up in the streets. That is definitely a no-no to our environment!

We’re given all the more reason to be more aware and sensitive to the status of our environment and how it will affect our everyday lives and the events we won’t be able to predict.

All this talk about change, improvements and making the world a safer and cleaner place to live in would be possible if you, yourself, is motivated to act on it.

Here are some ways on how we manage our trash at home. You will be surprised on how the ethics and good habits you practice at home can affect the way you go about your daily tasks and the way you treat your surroundings.

But first of all, we must define what trash or waste really are.

According to Oxford Dictionaries,

waste

Pronounced as /weist/

Defined as a:

verb

• 1 [with object] use or expend carelessly, extravagantly, or to no purpose
• fail to make full or good use of

adjective

• 1(of a material, substance, or by-product) eliminated or discarded as no longer useful or required after the completion of a process

• 2(of an area of land, typically an urban one) not used, cultivated, or built on

noun

• archaic the gradual loss or diminution of something

• unwanted or unusable material, substances, or by-products
  

•  a large area of barren, typically uninhabited land

•  Law damage to an estate caused by an act or by neglect, especially by a life tenant.

Whichever way you want to define the word waste, it all leads to the same result. It is something you don’t want anymore. It is neglected or possibly used up; but, you don’t know what to do about it so you just simply put it aside with the rest of the unwanted things.

That kind of mentality is definitely not a good practice.

All waste came from something. It was once important. It is considered important because we’ve extracted it in all possible ways in order to make full use of it. It was beneficial at some point.

Based on our experience, there is always a way to make a disadvantage into an advantage.

For example in our house, we practice proper waste management. Check out the pictures below and you will see that managing trash is as simple as putting food on your plate and filling up your stomach when you’re hungry. It is only a matter of wanting to do it and you’re driven to do so.

This green trash bin is called the YARD WASTE BIN.

We throw in all the “green” waste here like dried leaves, weeds etc. Anything that can be found lying around your yard/garden. See it’s so easy to remember, green = leaves, garden.

This red trash bin is called the WET GARBAGE/KITCHEN WASTE BIN

We throw in all left-over foods, drinks and anything found in the kitchen that you wouldn’t want to keep in your refrigerators anymore.

This is called ‘tic Box.

Well from the picture, I think you would have an idea on what we place it in. If you guessed plastic bottles, then you got that right that’s why it’s called ‘tic, short for plastic. We don’t just put it in a box for nothing. We recycle these bottles for various reasons. We clean and wash them. It can be used to stock up water when there’s the annual water check-up where there won’t be water for a significant number of hours. It can also be used to fill in water to be used to water plants.

This is called TAKE-OUT box.

We placed all take out boxes, cardboard packagings of food and materials bought from various stores. We collect a considerable number of cardboard boxes, then we bring them to the nearest paper-based recycling centers. You can refer to our previous posts to look for centers nearest to you. You got money out of it and you can help provide materials to create new items.

Well, will you look at that! It’s not as hard as you think. If we can do it our homes, I’m sure you’ll be able to do the same in your own homes. It’s all about discipline and trying to make it a habit to practice these waste management methods.

You would be surprised on how the little things can make a difference.

Most of these waste management practices were inspired by some of the notable organizations online who encouraged everyone to do proper waste management. How your small efforts can lead to greater things.

If you have time, you should check these links down below. You’ll be surprised on how having waste and trash at home isn’t a bad thing after all.

Bahay Tuluyan – http://www.bahaytuluyan.org/index_1_58_1.html

Waste Ventures – http://www.wasteventures.org

Waste Management – http://www.wm.com/index.jsp

Love Food, Hate Waste – http://england.lovefoodhatewaste.com (we highly recommend this site, especially for food lovers who just can’t bear to see any food go to waste.) 

Goodbye for now!

Hope you were able to learn something new today! 🙂

Bulb Galore

via https://savetheearth101.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/62833-one-direction-up-all-night.jpg

“Baby you light up my world like nobody else”

With today’s world and our reliance on aesthetics, one of the most important features of a home is its lighting. The usual factor is the design or perhaps the color of the bulb. But have you ever wondered what are the consequential carbon footprints  of your decision? Today, we widely use the Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs (CFL) or the Light Emitting Diode (LED) and not so common anymore–the incandescent bulb. Though still existing, the incandescent bulb has definitely lost its charm with regards to the two due to its inefficiency and costs . What then is the difference of these three bulbs?

via http://eartheasy.com/live_led_bulbs_comparison.html

via http://www.designrecycleinc.com/led%20comp%20chart.html

via http://www.designrecycleinc.com/led%20comp%20chart.html

via http://www.designrecycleinc.com/led%20comp%20chart.html

Based on these information, let me give you a peek on what type of bulbs I have at home.

For my study table, I make use of a fluorescent bulb. I use fluorescent because the light is brighter and clearer. It seems more smooth and relaxed rather than the LED lights we have at home. It is perfect for studying because it doesn’t strain your eyes the way an LED light would. Though there are negative factors like it would heat up easily and you can really feel the heat emanating from the lamp, I think it still delivers best with regards to light quality–something necessary for me when reading small texts.

For my bedroom, I use a circular fluorescent lamp. If you haven’t noticed, I took off the covering of the light, leaving the bulb exposed. Before it used to have a slightly opaque bowl cover that would save me of looking directly at its evident glare because of my low ceiling. Eventually, I felt that the protective casing was actually a hindrance rather than a solution for it made my room significantly darker and defeated the purpose of having a big bulb. (Do consider this tip at home, you might be wasting electricity by opening multiple lights in one room whereas the problem could just be that you have a dirty or too frosted bulb cover. Slight changes like these could save you money and lessen your carbon footprint!)

This is the LED light that I use for my bathroom. I don’t think I’ve changed it in 3 years and it still seems to be in the condition I bought it in. Just like all LEDs, the light brightness is significantly lesser than the Fluorescent bulb and it’s hard to do things that require good lighting such as make-up. Other than that, it’s do-able to still brush your teeth, wash your face and etc.. Though it has saved me money , it still makes me think if the poor lighting was actually worth the cheap cost. Nonetheless, I won’t be changing this until it dies out.

So there you have it! do try to reassess the bulbs you use at home. You might be using incandescent lights that take a toll on your budget. Do consider the many factors that come with this. In my opinion, fluorescent bulbs provide the best light but they contain mercury (toxic) and generate heat which could be uncomfortable for some. LEDs are the way to go for today’s modern environment supporter. Note that not all LEDs are dim like the one I have. Remember that the more small bulbs the LED contains, the brighter it is. Some LED lamps are even so customizable that you may adjust the brightness through a sensor, how savvy! Buy smart and save the earth!

Stop, look and recycle

Were you ever bothered by the old stuff and scrap lying around your house and room because you didn’t know what to do with them?

Don’t worry! I have the perfect solution to that.

The solution to your problem is… RECYCLING CENTERS.

Instead of just throwing everything into the trash or just let it pile up in your home, why not just send them off to places where they’ll be of use?

Whether they’re old computers, empty ink cartridges, used plastic and glass bottles and even scrap papers, they’re all recyclable and have a place to welcome them home.

These recyclable materials can be used to create new products or be used to create similar products at a reduced costs and lesser accumulation of wastes/trash.

On top of that, most recycling centres pay YOU for depositing and donating these recyclable materials.

What more can you ask for? You help save the environment and get paid for it. *ka-ching*

To make your lives less complicated, we’ll provide you with a list of some of the recycling centers in the Metro, together with the materials they accept.

Get your pen and paper ready and list them down or better yet, just take a snapshot of it. You save paper 😉

1. Batteries/ Tires  –  Philippine Recyclers, Inc. (Oriental and Motolite Corporation)

Ramcar Center, Roces Ave., Diliman, Quezon City

Tel: 3701000

2. Tires/Rubber – Metro Recapping Inc.

99 Gen. Ordonez St., Marikina City

Tel: 9415339, 9415339, 3701000

3. Computers – HMR Super Surplus Bodega

Pioneer corner Reliance Street, Mandaluyong City

Tel: 634.0526

4. Paper – Noah’s Paper Mills, Inc.

Southeast Marcos Bridge, Marcos Highway, Calumpang, Marikina City

Tel: 6455684, 6455678

5. Plastics – Chemrez, Inc.

65 Calle Industries, Bagumbayan, QC

Tel: 6350680, 6350703

6. Tetrapak – Tetrapak Phils.

7th Flr., Net One Center, 26th Street, Fort Bonifacio, Global City, Taguig City

Tel: 8181306, 8844402, 8181072

7. Glass/Empty Bottles – Pacific Glass Co.

Sheridan St., Mandaluyong

Tel: 6318221

8. Ink Cartridges – YGARC Trading Co.

2/F 8434 Perpetua Bldg., Dr. A. Santos Ave., Sucat, Parañaque City

Tel: 7880102, 7880156, 8252077

9. Mixed Materials – Quezon City Parks Dev’t Foundation, Inc.

Quezon Memorial Circle Admin. Office, Elliptical Road, Quezon City

Tel: 9243395, 9243412

There you go! I placed a location map for every recycling center credits to Google Maps 😀

We hope this helps! If you have any questions, feel free to leave us a comment down below.

These are only snippets of the whole list. If you want to view the list, click the following links below:

http://www.papemelroti.com/recycling_centers.htm

http://www.mixph.com/2008/05/list-of-recyclable-materials-and-recycling-centers.html

F-Y-I

Wanna know how much your donations of recycled materials cost?

Here’s a peak of the prices (as of 2009)

via http://www.dti.gov.ph/uploads/DownloadableFiles/SAB_Junkshop_Business09.pdf

Ta-ta for now! Happy Recycling!

Cheers, Mother Earth ❤